Video games, as an obsession, can be a costly enterprise. Hardcore gamers want the latest games, and they want to finish them in record time and move on to the next thrill. At more than sixty bucks a pop for a new game, not to mention the several hundred dollars outlay for the console, you've got a potentially expensive addiction.

Zealous gaming enthusiasts will, like junkies, come up with the money one way or another. Some have high-paying jobs with no family responsibilities; they can afford the games and the time to play them. Others with low-paying jobs and huge family responsibilities really need games to escape.

Then there's the spoiled bastard child. Daddy has enough disposable income to feed the little monster's addiction. These kids are the bane of every GameStop employee. (And you thought working at a video game store would be awesome. Stay in school!)

Despite evidence to the contrary, video gaming doesn't have to be expensive. It's all in the approach.

Some gamers complain of games that are too long or too difficult. This usually means they can't blast through it. Now, I'm not going to go freakonomics on you, but the longer a game lasts, the more money you save. Although an initial investment of sixty bucks may seem like a lot, an RPG lasting forty-plus hours can work out to a little more than a buck an hour. Now all of a sudden that's cheap entertainment.

The argument can be made that no one wants to play an unnecessarily long game. I thing we all agree it would be better to play only the best parts of a game without hours of dreary filler. I've had more fun doing laundry than some of the games of I've had to review.